Finally Home
by Tavvy2o
Summary: 4 years 6 months and 23 days. That's how long it has been since I had last seen my older brother. 3 years 9 months and 16 days since my oldest brother and I had received a letter in the mail telling us that our other brother had gone MIA. Maybe if I took you back to the day it all started you may begin to understand better.


4 years 6 months and 23 days. That's how long it has been since I had last seen my older brother. 3 years 9 months and 16 days since my oldest brother and I had received a letter in the mail telling us that our other brother had gone MIA. Maybe if I took you back to the day it all started you may begin to understand better.

It was a normal Wednesday afternoon. I had returned from school and I was sitting on the couch reading my book.

"Hey Pony!" Two bit yelled out to me. "I'm heading to the movie theatre to see if I can pick up any blondes. Would you care to join me?"

"Sure, just let me get my shoes." I yelled back at him. Two bit was quiet stocky in build. He had rusty coloured hair and side burns that could put Elvis to shame. He had a love for Micky mouse that could make Minnie jealous, and he was always cracking jokes, that's why we call him Two bit because he always has to put his two bits in.

As I sat watching the movie I couldn't help but think of what my life has been like in the past few years. I am 16 years old now and it's been 2 years since I watched two of boys in my gang die. Two friends, two buddies, two brothers. The first was Johnny, he was my best friend, still is my best friend. He had black hair, tanned skin, and dark, scared eyes. Johnny, or as we called him Johnnycake didn't talk much but golly could he listen. If you ever needed to speak to someone Johnny was the person to go to. Dally though was another story. Dally was the last person I watched die that night. I never really liked Dally, but you had to respect him. He wasn't that tall but he had lived life on the back streets of New York, and he knew how to survive some hard times. Dally had blond hair, elfish features and mean, cold blue eyes. Dally didn't love anything except Johnny. When Johnny died dally snapped. He couldn't live in a world without Johnny, and so Tulsa's toughest greaser died. Shot down by the fuzz. Since then life has gotten easier, if only by a bit. The socs leave us alone for the most part. I've managed to get along with school just fine, and me and my oldest brother Darry have been getting on better than we ever had. You could almost say my life was as close as it was ever going to get to perfect for the time being, but little did I know that was all going to change.

Later that afternoon when I got home I saw that Darry was sitting in his chair reading the newspaper, like he always does when he gets home. Darry was well built, tall and muscly. He had dark hair and ice blue eyes, just not as mean as Dally's.

"Hey Pone, where have you been?" He asked me.

" I went to the movies with Two bit, but when he left with this blond I decided to walk home." I replied

"Okay then, have you finished your homework?"

"Yeah I finished it before I left" I finished. Suddenly the door banged open and Soda, my other brother, and Steve his best friend burst through the door.

"Hello family!" Soda sang at the top of his voice. "We have mail."

Soda was the most handsomest person I know. He had a movie star smile, blond hair that was greased back like mine, and an athletic build. Soda was my most favourite person in the world, and I don't know what I would do without him.

"Well don't leave us hanging tell us what's in the mail." Darry told him.

"Well there are some bills, more bills, more bills and ooo a letter for me." Soda replied.

"Go on then open it." Steve told him.

Steve. I never really got on with Steve. He was Soda's best friend and he thought I was just a tag along, although our relationship has gotten better in the past few years, we have never really seen eye to eye. Steve had dark hair greased into complicated swirls and stormy eyes. He also had a temper that only Soda knew how to deal with, but overall he was alright, he was a buddy.

"Okay then." Soda replied "hold your horses." Soda tore open the letter and began to read it. The more he read the letter the more he seemed to pale before he folded it up and put it into his shirt pocket.

"So?" Asked Steve. "What does it say?"

"I've been drafted." Soda whispered.

"Sorry could you repeat that, I thought you just said you've been drafted?" Steve said.

"You heard me." Soda replied before he stormed into our room, slamming the door as he went. The room went quiet and all Steve, Darry and I could do was look at each other. Suddenly the door slammed opened again and Two bit came prancing into the room.

"Why do you all look like someone's just died?" He joked.

"Sodas been drafted." I say, and suddenly realisation came down upon me, my older brother had been drafted into a war that he probably doesn't believe in, and there was nothing we could do about it.

Two weeks later we said goodbye to Soda at the bus station and I am not ashamed to admit that I cried my eyes out as we said goodbye. That's the last time I saw him over 4 years ago.

Two moths went by, and I don't ever think I had been as depressed as I was at that time up to that point. My days were pretty much the same and it felt like I was on auto: I got up, ate breakfast, got ready, went to school, came home did my homework, stared out the window, go to bed. Sometimes I did something different like write a letter to Soda, read a book, or go to the movies but those times were few and far between. I continued like this for a while, until Steve got his draft letter. I couldn't believe it, more and more of us were getting teared apart, and from a strong gang of 7, probably the strongest in Tulsa, we were ripped down to 3 all because a stupid war in a stupid country that we couldn't care less about. After Steve left I decided I couldn't keep living like this. Just because Soda and Steve are off fighting a war doesn't mean they are dead, and until I see their bodies they were still alive and fighting and that was all I could hold onto that's what I'm still holding onto.

9 months and 7 days after Soda left, Darry and I had got the second worst news we could of heard. Soda had gone missing in action and we couldn't go find him ourselves. This nearly destroyed us. If I thought I was depressed before hand I was wrong. I could bearly move, the only thing that kept me going was they hadn't found a body, Soda could still be out there fighting for his life, giving the enemy hell while we just sit here waiting for his return. But the thing was nobody could find it in their hearts to tell Steve that Soda was MIA. He was still out there fighting and we all knew he had the best chance of finding Soda, but we couldn't risk him risking his life even more for a chance that could be for next to nothing. I guess the the real reason though why we didn't tell him was because we were all selfish. We knew Steve would go looking for Soda at the first whisper, but we couldn't risk losing another gang member. We wanted Steve home as much as we wanted Soda, well almost. So we went on and waited for more news.

Months later we did get some good news though... Steve was returning home to us. He was a little worse for wear, yes but he was still kicking and screaming. But I think the worst thing was he had to return home to find Soda missing. He yelled at us for not telling him, knocked us around a bit too, but we couldn't blame him. The only known one who was able to calm Steve down when he was in this mood was Soda, and he wasn't there. But as Steve likes to remind us he might have been home if we told him, because he could of look for Soda while he was fighting, and we can't but help but feel guilty with what we did, even though we knew we did the right thing, and we know Soda would have agreed with us. Things with Steve got easier over time. We thought he might have tried to kill himself a few times but he never went through with it, he kept on fighting and over time we became closer we became friends, almost brothers.

Time went on I finished school and moved onto collage, I got a job at a little diner to help pay some bills. As I moved on with my life though, I couldn't help but feel lonely like something was missing. And something was missing my older brother. The gap that he left in my heart was bigger than the one my parents left, bigger than the gap Johnny and dally left, and even though I know it's probably not possible for Soda to have lived this long in what ever hell he is living in I can't help but hope deep down in my heart that Soda is still out there fighting to get back home to us, even after hearing nothing from him in over 3 and a half years and it's that hope that keeps me living.

So that's where I am at now closing up the diner for the night. I half heatedly listen to the president telling the news reporters on how America is pulling out on the war. At least I know no more families will get torn apart, and I can't help but feel glad. I listen as the president says that the prisoners of war will be returning home soon, and I can't help but let that hope grow just that tiniest bit more. Maybe, just maybe soda was a prisoner of war, but at the same time I hope he wasn't, going through that would be hell and I couldn't wish that on anyone.

One afternoon I listened to the news and listened for all the returned prisoners. I was at work, just closing up when it turned on. I had almost given up on soda returning home, it had been weeks and still there was no news. "Nearly finished Curtis?" My boss asked me

"Yes boss" I replied half heatedly. Suddenly a name caught my notice on the screen it read Sodapop P Curtis. My heart stopped and the glass I was holding slipped from my grasp, smashing as it hit the ground, and then I fell to my knees.

"Curtis?" My boss asked, seeing no reply he asked again. "Curtis? Curtis? Ponyboy? What's wrong?"

"My brother." was the only thing I could say.

"Who? Darrel?" He asked

"No." I replied.

"Then who?" He asked yet again.

"My other brother Sodapop, on the tv he's coming home." I said. Finally it sunk in finally after 4 years 8 months and 2 days my brother was coming home.

"Who?" My boss asked.

"My other brother, the one who went missing in war he's coming home!" I whisper yelled almost not believing it, it must be a dream. Suddenly I got off the floor hugged my startled boss and started dancing around the room chanting: "he's coming home! he's coming home!"

"Ok!" My boss shouted over the noise I was making."Clean up this mess and go home."

"Yes sir!" I replied. I quickly cleaned up the mess I made making sure not to cut myself on the glass, and raced home.

When I got home, I burst through the door startling Darry as I did so.

"Pony boy what's gotten into you? You were the only one who didn't slam doors, I hope your not picking up the others habits!"

"It's Soda!" I said."He's coming home!"

"But Pone that's impossible. Lets face it, it's been too long for him to possibly have survived."

"Didn't you watch the news?" I asked.

"Nah I only just got home." He replied.

"Well I was watching the news today at work, while I was packing up for the day, when Soda's name showed up on the screen."

"You sure?" Darry asked me not quiet believing it himself.

"Yeah I'm sure, you can't mix up a name like Sodapop, and let's face it how many Sodapop's do you know?"

"He's really coming home, after all this time?" Darry asked again. "This isn't really just some cruel joke?"

"No he's really coming home!" i replied. Suddenly Darry wrapped me up into his huge arms and gave me a hug.

"I can't believe it!" He said, tears rolling down his face. In response I just hugged him tighter, not noticing the tears rolling down my face until now. Then the phone rang.

"I got it" I tell Darry. I picked up the phone and say. "Hello Ponyboy speaking."

"Pony?" Was what I got as a reply.

"Soda?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah Pone it's me." Soda said

"Oh my god! Soda it's soo good to hear from you."

"You too, but hey can you put Darry on and I will be home soon."

"Yep sure, see ya." I said, then I handed Darry the phone.

Darry and Soda talked for another minute before they hung up.

"He'll be home on Sunday" Darry told me.

Sunday that was 3 days away. I'm sure after 4 years I could wait 3 days I told myself. Suddenly the door opened and Two bit and Steve walked in.

"Who'll be home on Sunday?" Two bit asked

"Soda." Darry told them

'Soda?" Asked Steve.

"Soda." I replied.

Those three days were hell. I couldn't wait to see Soda again after all this time. When we got to the bus station I could bearly wait any longer.

" Remember Pone be slow with him" Darry told me.

"Yeah I know Dar." I replied. "Where is he?" I asked getting impatient after another 5 minute wait.

"Look over there!" Steve said spotting soda first.

When I finally spotted him, I held my breath. Soda looked so, so skinny and he was walking with a limp, but it was the best thing I have ever seen. When he spotted us he froze, then when he saw me he dropped his bag and opened his arms. It took all of my will power not to run into his arm and jump on him. When I was finally in his arms I could feel him hugging me tightly, but it was sadly without the strength he use to posses. Up close he was even skinnier than he looked before and another thing I noticed, I was taller than him. That felt so wired, Soda had always been taller than me. Suddenly I felt another set of arms wrap around us, it was Darry. It felt like we stood there hugging forever but when we all pulled away, it felt like it wasn't for long enough. Soda then turned to the others he shook Tow bit's hand and drew him into a short hug. When he saw Steve his whole body sagged in relief and he wrapped Steve up in a hug much like the one he wrapped me into. Then finally Soda said "Let's go home." And that's what we did, we left for home and for the first time in 4 years 8 months and 5 days I felt whole again. I knew there would still be troubles to face but we would face them together as a family .

THE END


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